The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-11-01

WAS dragged out IN such Il shameful
manner. and that the Makiki claim
ants bill did not pass the third read
ing ut the last session of the Legisla-
turc, and consequently was not sign
ed by the King; and for this reason
aud my neighbors in Makiki
would have had to suffer and starve
If we did not have some friends to
help us along or had sometimes
borrowed money at high interest to
raise the costs of living, for 1t was
clearly the intention to make US
come to terms by suffering and hard
ships. On the 2eth of December,
1884, then ] simply got an order
from the Minister Of Interior TO
vacate the premises, since the Gov
eminent needed the place on account
of the water with which to supply
the reservoir, and / would be in
Identified according to o future
taxation, a proceeding which is GER
tainly opposed to all justice and
usage in civilized countries. 1 had
to leave my property without re-
ceiving, at the time, either a cent
of money, or even mortgage or
any other kind of paper to show for
it. 1t was really like falling into
the hands Of pirates.
Mr.. Gibson, to whom / had sub
mitted by case, at one time, also
told me that he was informed by
Mr.. Bush, that had sold my water
rights to the Government, and that
was all they wanted; they did not
care for the land. If l was not
satisfied 1 could put my case in the
hands of an attorney and commence
suit against the Government. This
l did, and Judge Hartwell and Mr..
S. B. Dole being otherwise engaged
Mr.. Kinney took charge of it. |
had to pay him S52 in advance, and
borrowed the money to do it. paid
it back afterwards from the pro-
ceeds of the sale of frewood cut on
my place. The first decision was
against me, on the ground that it
was not admissible for me to sue
the Government, but instead
would have to sue water commits
sion, to be nominated for this pur-
pose; this was finally done and a
new suit commenced. In regard to
my water rights the Supreme Court
decided that they still belonged to
me, since they could not be sold
separately and had to go with the
land, and whoever wanted the water
would have to buy the land also.
The decision and award of the
water-commision and the jury ]
mentioned already in the beginning
of this article, and in spite of all
this 1 had to wait for years for my
just dues; to all my complaints
received the answer that there was
not money enough in the treasury,
and still there were large sums OF
money squandered in the most ex-
travagant and childish ways up to
the time that our new Reform
Government, which is composed Of
honest and upright gentlemen and
not of slaves of a ruler or a ring OF
political swindlers like most of their
predecessors, took hold of the reins,
and one of the first things they very
properly did, was to rectify this
shameful injustice and save the
honor of the country by paying to
the poor Makiki claimants at least
the capital due to them, leaving il
to an early extra session of truly
representative and enlightened
Legislature, TO settle the rate of in
terest they are entitled to. And
now the writer of the article referred
to has the heart to blame the new
cabinet for following the dictates of
their sense of decency and justice,
rather than the dead letter of the
law. May be that gentleman did
not know the particulars of this
case, but, if I guess correctly, he
did know them very well.
Now, Sir, this being the true in
wardness of this case, I wish long
life and prosperity to our Reform
Government, whose members carry
hearts in their bosoms, which are
not all dried up and unfeeling like,
The dead letter of the Law!
Alsha
J. M. HERRING.
Honolulu, October 81, 1887.